Hero veteran becomes world’s first double above-knee amputee to scale Everest

A retired British Army soldier has become the world’s first person with a double knee amputation to scale Everest.

Hari Budha Magar was a sergeant in the Ghurkha regiment for 15 years before an explosive device ripped off both his legs in Afghanistan in 2010.

But that didn’t stop the Nepalese, who grew up in the Himalayas, from realizing his childhood dream of climbing the highest mountain on earth.

Hari, 43, screamed “we did it” as he reached the summit on Friday after climbing 25 hours from camp with his world-class team.

He said: “If I can climb to the top of the world, everyone, regardless of their disability, can achieve their dream.”

“When things got really difficult, it was the thought of my amazing family and everyone who helped me get up the mountain that got me to the top.”

Hari began planning his challenge in 2018 after repealing a law that banned disabled people from attempting to climb the 8,849-meter peak.

He added: “My big goal was simply to change the perception of disability and to inspire other people to climb their own mountains.”

“No matter how big your dreams are, no matter how challenging your disability is, with the right attitude anything is possible.”

Its deployment comes 70 years after Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first took the helm in May 1953.

Hari, who is resting before returning to the UK as a hero later this week, is hoping to raise nearly £1million for five veterans’ charities.